


A little quiet in paradise

by rookiehedgewitch



Category: Fruits Basket
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Rain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:27:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26117959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rookiehedgewitch/pseuds/rookiehedgewitch
Summary: After a rainy week, both Kyo and Yuki find themselves sick and exhausted. And with Shigure away on a writer's retreat, Tohru is left more or less alone. The house that she was her home, that was so often full of life and noise, had fallen silent.In one of these quiet evenings, left all on her own, Tohru discovers something new about the zodiac spirits.
Relationships: Honda Tohru/Sohma Kyou
Comments: 6
Kudos: 85





	A little quiet in paradise

Tohru sighed, and watched her breath cloud in front of her, only to dissipate in the rain. It had been like this all week. Rain fell in sheets, running like curtains off the tiles of the roof. To tell the truth, Tohru loved the rain. She liked how, against the covered grey sky, the trees of the bordering forest looked so lush and peaceful. And she liked that after the rain, everything looked so regal, bedecked in crowns of gleaming rain drops. But what she liked most was the way that the sun broke through the clouds after the storm, and you could almost see the rays of golden light all around you. It was like heaven was leaking down onto earth. 

But it was selfish of her, really, to wish for rain. Not when it made the people in the house so miserable. 

“You shouldn’t stay out too long.” Tohru jumped at the sound of the new voice.

“Oh, Hatori. I didn’t hear you come out.” She smiled, stepping aside so he could leave the vestibule. The doctor shook his large black umbrella open. Meanwhile, the girl fidgeted with her cuticles. Finally she found the courage to speak. “Is Yuki ok?” 

“Hm?” The man looked up from his action, and then smiled. Tohru always liked it when he smiled. His smile was kind and gentle, and it felt like it could heal any heartbreak. But it was such a rare smile. She was so grateful to have seen it even once. “Don’t worry, Miss Honda. Yuki will be fine. He just needs some rest. Hopefully this rain will let up soon and give his lungs a break.” 

She nodded. “Thank you got coming on such short notice, really. I’m sure you’re busy. But I didn’t know what else to do.” 

“You did exactly the right thing. Now please call me if anything changes. Ok?” 

Tohru nodded again, and waved goodbye to the doctor. She stood, hand raised, smiling until he vanished from sight. And then her smile slipped from her face.

He’d said that she did the right thing. But the right thing would have been to notice that Yuki was ill earlier. He’d been so quiet these last few days. And then, he was always quiet, but it was different. And when he did speak, he kept his replies short. And only now it seemed obvious that he did so because it hurt to speak. How had she not noticed? How could she call herself his friend and not see that he was in pain? How-

“Are you still out in the rain?” For a second time, Tohru was caught off guard.

“Kyo! What are you doing up?” She squeaked. The orange haired boy was leaned against the doorframe, and it was obvious that right now he didn’t have the strength to stand on his own. 

Tohru had steadily watched as prolonged rain drained the boy of his spirit. He had barely left his room this week, and when he did leave, he was like a zombie. 

“I just came down for some tea.” He sighed, staring beyond Tohru into the grey sky. 

“I can make it for you.” She chirped and joined him inside the house, careful to set her umbrella out to dry and lock the house up tight. 

“You don’t have to do that. I can make it myself.” He said with very little confidence in his words. 

“I know you can. But I don’t mind. I should get started on dinner anyway.” Tohru led the way to the kitchen. The cat zodiac shuffled after her, each step sluggish and labored. 

“What do you want for dinner?” She asked, tying her hair back in a neat ponytail with one of her ribbons. She tied the other around her wrist for safe keeping. 

“Anything’s fine. The damned rat probably won’t eat. So don’t worry about making anything too fancy for me.” Kyo said, with a noncommittal shrug. 

“Oh, but he should eat something. Do you mind if I make soup? That way Yuki can eat too. I promise it will be leek-free.” 

“Promise?” Kyo raised a brow. 

“Scout's honor!” Tohru grinned, giving him a rigid salute. Kyo rolled his eyes, but Tohru could see that he didn’t mean it. The corners of his lips quirked up, ever so slightly. Her grin redoubled.

“Where’d you get that from?” He snorted. Before Tohru could answer, the kettle began to sing. She poured two cups of tea, and handed the boy one.

“Thanks.” He mumbled, and slid down the wall to sit on the hardwood floor in the corner. 

“If you want to go back to your room, I can take care of dinner and bring it to your room.” Tohru said over her shoulder as she began to gather ingredients. 

“Nah, it’s ok here.” Tohru worked in quiet, though she could hear Kyo’s gentle breathing behind her. It was nice to be around someone. These last few days had been so hard on Kyo and Yuki. And Shigure was gone on a writer’s retreat, so she spent most of her days alone. It had been...

“It’s been quiet, hasn’t it?” Kyo asked.

“Oh, yes. I suppose so. But that’s good, it means you and Yuki get to get plenty of rest.” Tohru smiled down at her mug. 

“But you’ve been alone.” Tohru’s heart jumped in her chest, and some feeling lodged itself in her throat, making it hard to breathe. She recovered after a moment, and began chopping green onions with gusto. 

“It’s fine! Really! I’ve been getting lots of cleaning done, and I’ve even done some reading. I’ve been very productive, and -“ the girl’s rambling was cut off as she felt a tug on the ribbon tied around her wrist. When she looked up from her tea, Kyo was standing close. How did he move so quietly? Maybe it was his training, or maybe it was the cat spirit. But having him so close so suddenly took Tohru by surprise. She found herself feeling like the sweater she was wearing was way too warm.

“You don’t have to pretend you’re ok for my sake, you know.” He said, tugging on the ribbon at her wrist again. She met his gaze, and was caught up in the beautiful amber of his eyes. Even like this, when he was exhausted, his eyes still looked like molten copper. 

“Oh-ok.” She nodded, not able to protest under his watchful gaze.

“It sucks that we’ve left you all alone. I’m sorry about that. I know you don’t like being alone.” Tohru gasped, quickly looking away as tears sprung to her eyes. How had he known? 

“Shit, I’m sorry, Tohru. I upset you, didn’t I?” Kyo’s shoulders deflated. 

“No!” Tohru cried. “I’m not upset. I just... I’m so grateful to be living with such kind and thoughtful people who know me so well. So thank you, Kyo.” She said, taking the hand that had held her ribbon in both of hers, and squeezing tight. Kyo’s cheeks went dusty with pink. 

”I-I’m going to set the table.” He muttered, and shuffled off into the living room. Tohru continued to smile as she prepared dinner. 

“Here you go.” She grinned, setting down dinner for Kyo. “I’ll be right back, I’m going to go give this to Yuki.” 

Tohru half expected Kyo to say something about letting Yuki starve, but he didn’t. He didn’t even lift his head off the table. 

He’d looked more energetic a minute ago, but now he seemed even more exhausted. Maybe Tohru should have insisted he return to his room. But that would have meant she’d be... 

She shook the selfish thought from her head, and knocked gently on Yuki’s door.

“Yuki, I have dinner.” She whispered, just loud enough so he might hear. 

From behind the door, she heard some shuffling, followed by a harsh cough. She slid the door open. Yuki’s room was a mess, but it was always like this. Tohru didn’t mind it though. Yuki always seemed so put together, everyone needed a place to be a little messy, right? In the middle of the mess sat Yuki, looking much less Princely than usual. If Kyo looked drained of energy, Yuki looked like he had none at all. His skin was pale, and his eyes were bloodshot. His hair was in complete disarray, too. Strands of fine grey hair clung to his cheek, and others defied gravity. 

“How are you feeling?” She asked, setting the tray down at his bedside table. 

“Better, somewhat. Thank you for bringing me dinner.” He offered a faint smile, and Tohru would gladly take it. 

“Please let me know if you want anything else.” He nodded, and then leaned back against the wall, taking one deep inhale, and then another. 

“I’m sorry.” Tohru said, clutching the hem of her skirt in her lap. “I should have noticed you weren’t feeling well sooner.”

“It’s not your fault, Miss Honda. I was the one who tried to hide it.” There was quiet between them, and Tohru desperately tried to think of something to say to fill the silence and bring him some comfort. But the sound of the rain beating against the windows and roof pressed silence down on them both. 

“Well, I should let you rest.” She stood, but found that Yuki had taken her hand in his. His fingers were so cold. 

“Could you stay, for just a minute longer?” He asked. His voice was so quiet, Tohru thought she’d imagined it. But she sat back down at the side of his bed, and held his hand in hers. 

“Sure.” She smiled. She didn't have to wait very long at all. Yuki leaned back against his pillows, his hand still in hers, and within moments his eyes fluttered shut and his breathing grew deeper. Once she was certain the boy was asleep, she lay him back on the bed, and drew the covers up around him. 

He was so delicate. Of course he was strong, too. Strong enough to fight to keep moving forward, even when it was hard. But when he let his guard down, when he finally rested, it was plain to see that he was gentle. He wanted affection, and warmth, and someone to tell him it would all be ok. 

Tohru smiled to herself, and closed the door behind her. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting Kyo, I-“ Tohru paused, seeing that the living room was empty. His plates were untouched, but Kyo was gone. Tohru sighed, but she understood. Kyo probably got too tired waiting for her. She couldn't blame him for that. She wrapped up his food, and returned it to the fridge. Maybe he’d eat when he was feeling stronger. She looked at her plates, alone at the table, and couldn’t bring herself to eat by herself. Not for a third night in a row. 

Tohru returned her food to the fridge, and worked in silence to clean up the kitchen. The rain fell harder now, and it drowned out the sounds of her work. She began to hum, just to try to create some noise other than the shushing sounds of the rain. 

She continued to hum as she prepared a bath, and then went to get a fresh towel from the linen closet. But when she opened up the closet, she found a pair of gleaming orange eyes staring back at her. With a yelp, she jumped back, stumbling over her own feet and falling to the ground with a thud. Had an animal gotten inside the house? She was certain she’d closed the door when she came in from the rain. So how had it gotten in? 

“Calm down, it’s just me.” The beast in the closet sighed, and Tohru froze. Suddenly, those orange eyes looked very familiar.

“Kyo? Is that you?” In answer, an orange cat emerged from the shadows, shaking itself off of the towels. 

“When did you transform? Are you ok?” She leapt up from where she'd fallen.

“A few minutes ago.” He sighed, jumping down from the shelf and padding towards the living room. 

“Why did you transform?” Tohru persisted, following after him. 

“It's just the rain. It happens. And I’ll probably be like this for a while, so don’t worry if I don’t transform back.” He said, resigned. Tohru watched from the doorway as he stood up on his hind legs and swatted the remote off of the stand. It clattered to the ground, where he was able to take it in his mouth and bring it back to a pillow on the floor. He turned the tv on with a paw, and settled in. Tohru observed him as his tail swiped back and forth over the mat. He seemed completely oblivious to movements as he watched TV. 

“When you transform, how much like your zodiac spirit do you become?“ She asked, sitting beside him.

“That’s a dumb question.” He said, but there was no conviction in his words. 

“Oh, is it? My grandfather has a cat and whenever he can’t find her he looks in the linen closet. I was just thinking that maybe that’s why you-“

“That’s not why.” He interrupted. It was hard to read his expression when he was like this, but Tohru was fairly certain that if he were human right now, he’d be blushing. An idea sprung into her head, and Tohru slowly crept her hand forward, until the tips of her fingers touched the soft orange fur. Kyo tensed underneath her hand, but before he could protest, she scratched just behind his ears. 

“Tohru, what are you doing?” He said, his voice low. But he hadn’t moved away from her. In fact, Tohru felt him shift and set the weight of his head into her palm.

“I just thought that maybe this would feel nice. I’ll stop if you want me to.” She whispered, really hoping he wouldn’t want her to. His fur was so soft, and he was so warm, she felt the stress and sadness of the week melt away. Kyo remained quiet, and Tohru didn’t say anything more about it, though she continued to smooth his fur in gentle, repetitive movements. She moved her hand slightly, so she was able to scratch under his chin. He adjusted, jutting his chin forward. Tohru tried not to giggle, but he was so cute with his round eyes half-closed and his tail languidly brushing over the mat. 

“We all have attributes of our zodiac spirit, even in our human forms.” Kyo said, and the sound of the TV and the rain made Tohru strain to hear him. “That’s why Kagura is so strong, and why I can jump from high places without getting hurt. But when we’re in our zodiac forms, the impulses get stronger. Almost like instinctively we want to do certain things, and it’s harder to resist. Which is why I guess this feels nice.” 

“I see.” Tohru thought about catnip and scratching posts, but knew that Kyo would think she was teasing him. “Thank you for telling me.”

“Don’t tell that rat bastard or the stupid dog about this.” He grumbled, and Tohru nodded. Moments later, Kyo began to purr. The low thrumming in his chest sent a wave of pleasant calm through Tohru. She couldn’t do much for Kyo when it rained. After all, she couldn’t control the weather. But at least he was content now. At least she could do that for him.

They continued to watch TV, though Tohru found her eye lids drooping under the gentle coaxing of the purring cat. She lay on the mat on her side, and Kyo looked up at her with an inquisitive eye.

“If you’re tired, you should go to bed.” He whispered. 

“I’m fine, I want to stay like this a bit longer.” She mumbled as sleep ghosted over her. “It’s nice to spend time with you. It’s less quiet. Less lonely.” 

Kyo stood, padding across the living room floor until he was standing right over her. Then he flopped down, so his furry body was flush with hers.

“I’ll stay here until you don’t feel lonely anymore.” Tohru smiled sleepily, and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him tight against her and burying her face in the soft fur of his neck.

She truly loved living with the members of the zodiac. Their curse didn’t matter to her. But selfishly, there were times she wished she could hold them. Or be held by them. She thought of all the times her mom held her and how, in the soft and warm cocoon of her mother’s arms, all her worries would be gone. Just like magic. She wished she could do that for them. And she wished they could do that for her. But if holding Kyo like this was the closest she could get, she would take it. 

“You smell nice.” She sighed, burying her face deeper into his fur. 

“Ok, weirdo.” He chuckled. 

“Oh was that a weird thing to say?”

“How many times has someone told you you smell nice?” 

“Hana and Uo say it all the time. I didn’t think it was that weird.”

“Anything they do is definitely weird.” Tohru giggled at this, and Kyo’s purring grew louder. Tohru let her eyes close, and listened to the sounds around her. The rain was distant now, merely a gentle background to the chatting on the TV. And even that was white noise compared to the rhythmic purring coming from Kyo. As Tohru drifted off, she was happy. It didn’t feel so quiet any more, didn’t feel so lonely. 

Tohru’s eyes fluttered open as she heard shuffling behind her. She blinked in the darkness, trying to gather herself. Kyo was still in her arms, still a cat, curled into a ball with his face tucked near his paws. Tohru looked over her shoulder, and saw a figure standing in the white light of the fridge. 

“Yuki, you’re up?” She whispered, meeting his grey eyes at seemed to shine in the dark. 

“Just getting some water. I didn’t mean to bother you.” He smiled gently, coming to sit at the table. As he drew nearer, he spotted the little orange ball of fur curled up in her arms, and an odd look passed over his face. The same look Yuki always wore around Kyo.

“Oh, um. He transformed because of the rain. And I was feeling a bit lonely so he comforted me. That’s all.” She sat up, leaving the warmth of the cat. The look of distaste vanished as Yuki’s eyes went wide.

“You were feeling lonely?” He asked.

“Just a little bit. But it’s fine, really.” She tried to laugh it off, but it didn’t assuage the concern on his face.

“It’s because we were cooped up in our rooms, isn’t it?” He asked. Tohru looked away, guilt churning in the pit of her stomach. 

“You don’t have to worry about me. It’s just more important that you get rest.” The boy sighed, unconvinced by her assurance. Then he looked over at Kyo, who was sleeping peacefully where Tohru had left him. 

“Lucky cat.” He scoffed.

“I don’t think Kyo would consider himself lucky.” Tohru frowned.

“And yet, somehow, he is.“ 

“What do you mean?” Tohru whispered, enraptured by Yuki’s sudden openness. 

“Well, he comforted you. Didn’t he? He knows when someone’s feeling down. He knows how to hold them so they feel safe. I guess that all comes from experience, right? And I don’t have much of that.” Tohru felt tears spring to her eyes, and before they had a chance to spill over into her cheeks, she threw her arms around Yuki. The embrace only lasted a minute, half a minute. But in that half a minute, she gave it everything she had. All the warmth, affection, safety she could muster, she gave it all to him in that hug. And then she was holding nothing, surrounded by a cloud of smoke. 

Once the smoke had disappeared, Tohru saw the little grey rat sitting on its haunches in the pile of crumpled clothes, its dark eyes big with surprise. 

“I’m so sorry Yuki.” She squeaked, still careful not to wake up Kyo. “I guess I got ahead of myself.” 

“It’s ok.” In this form, Yuki’s voice was so hard to hear. He was just so small. 

“But is this hard on your lungs?” She offered her palms to him, and the little rat clambered into her hands. She brought them up to her face, trying to see some sign of whether the boy was having trouble breathing.

“No more than when I’m in my human form. I’m fine, don’t worry. This happens all the time when I get sick. I’m surprised I hadn’t transformed yet.” She was about to protest, when her stomach growled so loud, she was worried she'd wake Kyo.

“Um,” Tohru said, eyeing the cat's still sleeping form. “Yuki, are you hungry at all?” 

“I am actually a bit hungry.” He said, cocking his head to the side. 

“Ok, I’ll get something for us to eat.” Tohru smiled, carrying Yuki to the kitchen, and sliding the living room door behind them so as not to disturb Kyo.

“I completely forgot to eat dinner earlier.” She giggled, setting Yuki down on the counter. “So I’m starving.” She opened the fridge, scanning it for something for Yuki. 

Suddenly, her eyes landed on something at the back of the fridge. A few nights ago Momiji came over for dinner and he wanted ramen with cheese on top. He’d seen it on an ad and wanted to try it. In the end, Tohru and Momiji were the only ones to actually eat ramen with cheese, so she had quite a bit left over. 

“Are you teasing me?” Yuki deadpanned when she presented him with a little plate stacked with cheese.

“Oh, you don’t like it?” She spiraled. “Kyo said that you have the instincts of your zodiac when you’re like this and, um, I just thought that maybe you’d like this better than other foods? I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s true that we have instincts of our zodiac when we’re transformed, but Tohru? You do know it’s a myth that rats like cheese more than other foods.” Tohru felt her soul trying to leave her body as she stood, frozen, before him. She hadn’t known that, but if she lied and said she did then he’d think she was teasing. 

“But thank you. For this, and for the experience.” Yuki said and his earnest voice cut through her panic. Tohru smiled in return. 

“I’ll get you something else to eat.” 

In the end she got a thimble from her sewing kit, cleaned it up, and used it as a little tea cup for Yuki. She also put a small amount of rice on a plate. While she ate her dinner, she watched Yuki hold the makeshift cup in his paws. 

“I can feel you staring.” He said, glancing up at Tohru. 

“I’m sorry, it’s just so cute.” Tohru gushed. “Oh, but I forgot, you don’t like to be called cute. It’s not cute, I take it back.” 

“This one time, I guess it’s ok.” He sighed. Just then, they were interrupted by a scratching sound at the living room door. The sliding door opened just a crack, and an orange paw stuck its way through, and pushed the door all the way open. 

Kyo appeared, looking somewhat disoriented, blinking up at Tohru.

“Hello Kyo. Would you like something to eat.” The girl smiled. Kyo shook his head, and leapt gracefully up onto the counter. There he saw Yuki, as well as the thimble of tea, and the discarded plate of cheese. 

“Don’t say anything unless you want a broken arm once we change back.” Yuki scowled.

“I’m not saying anything.” Kyo smirked. His tail twitched in amusement. “I'm just glad that when I transform I don’t have to drink tea from a thimble like a little doll.” 

“And I’m glad that when I transform, I still act like a human and not some perverted animal.”

“Who are you calling perverted?” Kyo hissed, his fur bristling. 

“Really, Kyo. We are still human, even in our animal form. So when you’re off acting like a lap cat, you’re really just-“ Before Yuki had a chance to finish, Tohru scooped both boys up in her arms and held them tight.

“Please stop fighting, you’re both too weak right now to be fighting like this.” She pleaded. Once the shock had faded from their expressions, the two boys looked away, guilty. 

“I think maybe it’s time we all go to bed.” Tohru said, clicking the lights off with one hand, and holding them both in the other. Kyo didn’t care to be that close to Yuki, and clambered up her shoulder. As she made her way up the stairs, Tohru felt Kyo’s soft fur once more against her cheek. She thought of what Yuki had just said. Kyo was still human, so it probably hadn’t been appropriate for them to fall asleep like that. But Tohru didn’t mind. She always felt better sleeping next to someone she cared for. Every time Hana and Uo and her got together, they slept in the same bed. And Kyo was her friend, so maybe it wasn’t any different than that. 

“Ok. Please let me know if you need anything or if your lungs start to hurt again.” Tohru set Yuki down on his bed, and watched the little rat curl up on his pillow. 

“Thank you Tohru.” He whispered, and was asleep in an instant. In the hall, Kyo jumped down from her shoulder, landing without a sound on the floor.

“I could eat him like this, you know.” Kyo said, his tail waving lackadaisically in the air. 

“Please don’t eat Yuki, Kyo.” Tohru went pale at the thought. Kyo seemed to shrug, indifferent to the matter. Tohru opened up the door to his room, and Kyo padded inside.

“Thank you, Kyo. For making me feel less lonely.” Tohru said, watching him flop over on his bed. He raised his head up from the mat, his eyes glinting in a way that always seemed to striking to Tohru. 

“You should tell people when you’re feeling lonely. At least tell me. I probably won't be good company, but still.” 

“You’re great company! I promise!” Tohru protested. 

“Promise?” He asked. 

“Scouts honor!” She grinned.

“Weirdo.” He shook his furry orange head, and set it back down on the pillow, letting the exhaustion from the rain finally reclaim him.

The rain lasted another two days, but Tohru found that she was never alone anymore. As she cooked, Kyo would skulk into the kitchen and sit in the corner. And as she cleaned the living room, he’d turn on the TV. And then when she did homework, Yuki would read quietly next to her. And when she ate, both boys came out of their rooms to sit beside her. They rarely spoke, but Tohru didn’t feel like they needed to. 

When the sun finally broke through the clouds, Tohru threw open the sliding doors to the porch, and sat on the precipice of the living room as the sun crept through the clouds, sending off beautiful rays of sunlight and setting the sparkling world ablaze. 

“You’re gonna get sick if you keep standing in the rain.” Kyo said from his spot at the table. 

“Says the person who can’t even stay up for an hour when it rains.” Yuki remarked from behind his book. 

“Says the person who gets sick anytime the weather does anything.” The redhead retorted. 

“I won’t stay out too long.” Tohru said, silencing their quarrel. “But look how beautiful it is.”


End file.
